Untampered Energy
by CallisJane
Summary: Azalea Lily Potter is the twin sister of Harold James Potter, and they both carry the lightning scar. What happens when the Dark Lord faces not one but two with the power he knows not? Chaos reigns when the Marauders' heirs aim their mischief for the wizarding world. Told mostly from Azalea's POV.
1. Chapter 1

_**CHAPTER ONE**_

Hello! I'm CJ, and this is my first fanfiction. Criticism is welcome, but if you don't like this, don't read it! No one wants to hear you complain! Now, on to business. Updates will be sporadic, and I apologize in advance for this, but it can't be helped, sorry! I'm a Chaotic Neutral; If I'm inspired, I'll write. If I'm not, I won't write.

Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction using characters from the Harry Potter world, which is trademarked by J. K. Rowling. The settings and characters other than Azalea belong to her. Thanks to her for letting me play in her Wizarding World along with all the others who own parts of it!

It was a clear, bright summer day on the over-polished house that was Number 4, Privet Drive. Every blade of grass stood out against the green lawn that was always slightly nicer than the neighbors'. Not that Lea and Harry were able to see it. Their one, tiny window had been boarded up since they had used it to drop water on their mean spirited uncle, who had been leaving for work that morning. Pranks were a favorite pastime of the twin's, but not when they were caught. Unfortunately, their only targets were their aunt, uncle, and cousin, and the only suspects were themselves.

"Another birthday, huh sis?" Azalea hadn't noticed her brother wake up.

"Huh?" she inquired.

"Dudley, it's his birthday today. I can't believe you forgot, he's been lording it over us for the past month and a half."

Lea shuddered. "Oof. I simply can't wait to serve the mighty prince of the household!" she praised, sarcasm dripping from every word. "All hail our slave owner." Her last phrase was spoken softly because it was nothing but the truth.

As they rested on their bargain-store beds, they tried to go back into their semi-peaceful slumber for a while until they had to do any chores. Nightmares were a constant companion for the siblings, but rest was something they always needed more of. The sound of pounding on the door broke the twins from their half-hearted attempt.

"Come on then, wake up! It's time for you to be getting breakfast ready, brats, and if there isn't enough good food for Dudley's perfect birthday, then you'll have to give up your own portions." That was Aunt Petunia, a vile woman with blond hair that fell in curls and a neck long enough to belong to a giraffe. The long nose on her horsey face was always in other people's business, whether it be celebrities or neighbors. She always wore formal, floral patterned dresses, even in the middle of summer.

Harry and Lea quickly rose and dressed in their hand-me-down clothes for the day. There was one mirror in their room, and Azalea used it to fix her deep, shimmery, and flaming red hair every morning. It was the one thing she could do to look nice. It was long and straight, unlike her twin brother, Harry's. He had the messiest black hair to ever be seen in England. The twins had been trained to hide their lightning-bolt shaped scars on their foreheads by leaving hair down so that they couldn't be seen. Contrary to neighborhood gossip, they were not, in fact, the typical zig zag of a child's drawing, but actual lines that you might see in a real lightning bolt, changing in the oddest of directions.

They both wore rectangular glasses and liked the shape, but despised the cheap, plastic style. They were taped around the middle where Dudley and his gang had hit the bridge several too many times. They despised all bullies, but their aunt and uncle would hear none of the teachers' complaints about Dudley. Because they were twins, they had the same small, malnourished height and frame, but their eyes were different with his being bright, lively green that lit up a room and hers a warm, sharp hazel that sparkled in the sun. Despite the difference in color, their gazes were identically piercing.

Remembering what they were awake for, they rushed to the kitchen just in time to make breakfast for the Dursleys despite the fact that they hadn't ever sat down for a meal themselves. When they passed the living room, Lea took in the pictures sitting on every available surface. Almost every single one was of Dudley, and there was no sign that any other children lived in the neat, orderly house. Birthdays were a big deal in the Dursley household. That is, unless your last name was 'Potter'. Neither Harry nor Lea had celebrated their birthday with anyone but each other for as long as they could remember, and they never questioned that. All they needed to be content in their abusive home was each other. They were not only twins but the best of friends too.

Still, Lea often thought that she and Harry would both leave the Dursley house in a heartbeat were there any way for them too. It would be fantastic of their parents were still alive. As she flipped her uncle's bacon, she mused that anywhere would be better than the Dursley's, even if Lily and James Potter had been drunks and jobless. Lily and James. James and Lily. Harold James Potter and Azalea Lily Potter's parents. That had a nice ring to it. Harry and she had often talked of possibilities late at night, for example, if they would ever meet them, despite that they were dead. Would they approve of their pranks and joking manner? Did they love the feeling of running free, as the twins did? Did they like to read as well? Even is the Dursleys never let them excel in public, the twins loved learning things for themselves. Lea was adamant that they read at least one new book every month, but they could never show their knowledge in front of other people.

Their relatives came down the stairs as breakfast was being set out, and as Dudley passed the cupboard under the stairs where Harry and Lea used to sleep before they grew too big, he kicked the door as a reminder that if anything went wrong, they would spend the night cramped in there as punishment. Harry shivered. He hated that cupboard with a red-hot, fiery passion. Of course, he would never tell the Dursleys. It would only land him more time locked in there.

After breakfast, which the twins received none of because Harry had burnt Petunia's toast, Dudley began opening his tower of presents that nearly covered the entire dining table. He unwrapped a gold watch, a camera, several computer games, remote control vehicles, and a racing bike. Neither Harry nor Lea knew why the bike was on his birthday list as Dudley despised any form of exercise unless it involved harming his cousins. When the wrapping paper had all been thrown throughout the room in pursuit of the countless gifts, the total present count was…

"Thirty-seven?" Dudley looked confused. "But last year I had thirty-eight presents!" he protested.

Lea and Harry were furious. Thirty-seven of anything was more than the twins would ever be likely to have! Combined, they only owned three items. Their glasses and Azalea's dark green headband was all they could talk their relatives into, and all three of those were only so that they could see what they were cleaning! That headband was the only thing Lea wanted to actually keep if they ever got out of Privet Drive, and only because its green shade reminded her of Harry.

Sensing an argument coming on, Vernon promised to buy Dudley two more presents while they were out at the zoo and gave Lea and Harry matching glares that clearly said he would be dealing with them later. _Yippee, another night in the cupboard_.

After a call from their neighbor, Mrs. Figg, it was decided that the resident Potters were to come with them, but only because Mrs. Figg had broken her leg and couldn't watch them. It was a one-time thing, and they were to stay out of sight until three o' clock sharp when they would drive home. Before they left, Vernon took Azalea and Harry aside.

"If you even think about doing any… funny business, you'll wish you'd never been born," Uncle Vernon sputtered.

"We won't do anything, oh great and wise Uncle Vernon, now will we Lea?" Harry said in a sing-song voice.

Lea grinned. "Of course not, Harry! Not on Dudder's special day!"

The combined promise did nothing but unsettle him further. "I'll be keeping you both to that, freaks." The only reason he wasn't interrogating them further was because he was afraid of retaliation. The twins had gained quite the reputation in their neighborhood for practical jokes. He didn't really believe that they'd keep to themselves, and no one ever did, though that was partly because they seldom followed up on their promises, especially if there was a good prank just begging to be brought out.

When they arrived, Harry dragged Lea straight to the reptile house. No one ever stayed there for long, so they could hide and see the turtles and lizards for the three hours they were staying and never have to move. They saw all the turtles and lizards there was to see, and then it was into the snake exhibit they went. A large boa constrictor caught their eyes, so they ran up to him first.

"Oh look, another pair of humans to watch. These ones look slightly more terrified than the other children," the large snake hissed.

"You can talk?" squeaked Harry.

"A speaker? I've never seen another of your kind before. Tell me, what is your name?"

"I'm Harold, Harold Potter, but you can call me Harry, and this is-"

"Azalea, Lea for short. I'm Harry's twin sister. Nice to meet you Mr..?"

The boa constrictor was stunned, simply looking back and forth between the two humans for a while. "Two speakers? My, what a momentous occasion. I am Segesta, and it is quite an honor to be in your acquaintance!"

"Why?" Harry quizzed. "You must see many humans all day!"

"Ah, but none of those visitors can converse with serpents, as you can."

"You mean not everyone can hear you?"

"Yes. You are the only ones I have met who can speak our tongue. Parseltongue, that is. The trait is rare among humans, and it only surfaces in those with magic in their blood."

Lea backtracked. "Magic isn't real!"

"Yeah, what do you know, you're only a danger noodle!" Harry added. That lesson had been burned into their skulls the day it had been brought into a previously innocent conversation by Harry. The Dursleys hated magic and it was their pride and pleasure to always act as the perfect and absolutely, positively normal family.

"But it is. You have much to learn, little hatchlings." With that, Harry led Lea away to a young Red-Tail Boa. It was maybe three years old, and according to its nameplate, could live about thirty more years. The snake itself was gorgeous, with brown scales and red spots lined with a shiny black tone all over its tail. As it slithered around its log to get a good look at the queer, snake-speaking siblings. As soon as it had their attention, it began to rattle off questions.

"What is the outside world like? What is a hamburger? Why do people keep animals locked in cages? Does-"

Lea began to giggle at the snake's inquisitive nature. She was laughing so hard that the boa stopped speaking to look at her and Harry had time to answer all the questions.

"The outside world has lots of people and big, square buildings sharing room with natural things like trees and grass, hamburgers are food that humans enjoy eating, and animals are kept in cages because this is a zoo, which is a place that people come to see creatures that they normally wouldn't ever get to observe," he said, rapid-firing sentences for the reptile.

"Thank you, speaker," sighed the serpent. "I've never been out of this building before, so news of the world outside is greatly appreciated. How I wish I could leave to come with you both." The twins glanced at each other. It would be nice to have a pet, and snakes can take care of themselves, right?

As they wondered how to get the Red-Tailed Boa to them, the glass to the exhibit disappeared, the snake slithered onto Harry's shoulder, and with a _pop_, it was as if nothing had happened. With wide-eyed stares, Lea and Harry asked the serpent what had happened.

"I do not know, humans. Magic, perhaps?" They decided not to acknowledge the last statement. "What's your name? We can't just keep calling you 'snake'," they said.

"The white-clothed humans here call me seven sixty-one, but aside from that I have no name." After much deliberation, it was decided that she would be named Sienna.

During the ride home, Sienna stayed hidden in Lea's baggy jacket that used to belong to Aunt Petunia. When they arrived at Privet Drive, both Harry and Lea sprinted straight to their room and set Sienna down in the bottom of their scarcely-used closet. Quickly, they explained that she would have to stay there until night when she could hunt because of their relatives, and she could only be seen by Lea and Harry.

As soon as they came stumbling down the stairs, still shocked at what they had done, Petunia had Lea clearing the mess of wrapping paper no one had bothered to clean up and Harry moving all of Dudley's presents to his room except for the bike, which he wanted to use _right now_. They hated being separated, and their guardians knew it. It was part of their punishment for daring to act like anomalies; speaking at the same time, switching talking back and forth during sentences, and being twins, in general, was a crime of nature according to the Dursleys.

That night, they fell asleep with no trouble, clearing their minds before bed despite the fact that they were stuffed into the tiny closet under the stairs with hardly any room to breathe, much less get comfortable. The hustle and bustle of the day reminded them that life could never be dull for the Potter twins, but at least they had each other along for the ride.


	2. Chapter 2

_**CHAPTER TWO **_

So… its early. *hides behind pillows* I'm sorry for updating this early, but… insomnia? Also: People actually liked this, so I'm slightly alarmed and not sure what to do with myself. I'm internally really excited because, yay, this isn't pointless, but I'm also kind of scared because, oh no, people are actually reading this. Please remember, these first few chapters are prewritten, so that's why they're coming so fast. Don't expect updates this regularly in the future!

Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction using characters from the Harry Potter world, which is trademarked by J. K. Rowling. The settings and characters used in this story, other than my own creation, Azalea Lily Potter, belong to her. Thanks, merci, gracias, and THANK YOU, J. K. Rowling, for letting fanfiction writers like me mess with your stuff.

* * *

_Stomp, stomp. Bang, creak, BANG! _

Harry and Lea were rudely awoken by the unwelcome sound of Dudley crashing down the stairs purely for the 'fun' of annoying the two people currently stuck in the cupboard underneath him. As soon as they woke, the twins began to panic. They had always hated the cupboard, and claustrophobia was a result of that.

"Get up cousins! Food doesn't make itself!"

The two 'misbehaving brats', as Vernon liked to call them, stirred quickly and, after going up to their room to check on Sienna and get dressed, they made breakfast. They actually got to share a small portion of the meal because they would need the nutrients for a full day of chores.

Harry was sent to get the mail, as always, while Lea cleared the dishes. They had their morning routine down pat, and they never missed a beat in fear of missing meals. By the time she had scrubbed all the plates, forks, spoons, and glasses and set them out to dry, her brother was back with the mail. In the midst of passing out the letters, a confused expression suddenly appeared on his face.

"What is it, boy?" Vernon demanded. He was always grouchy in the morning.

Harry appeared to stumble on his words for a moment. "Well, you see, um-"

"Just spit it out!"

"There's a letter for both me and Azalea here! We never get mail!" He held up the letters for their aunt and uncle to see. They looked old fashioned with a bright red seal on the back. Vernon and Aunt Petunia froze with what looked like fear. Dudley was just visibly shocked to see that someone had bothered to communicate in any way to his freakish cousins which was hilarious because he was halfway to his mouth with another bite of egg. Lea snorted at the sight which earned her a glare, but it also ended the relatively awkward silence.

With a quiet, steely voice, Aunt Petunia said, "Give me that letter, boy. Now." Her hands shook as she took a yellowing envelope from Harry, peered at the return address, and promptly threw it into the fireplace. The kitchen erupted in protests. Azalea spoke up because she wanted to see her letter, Dudley yelled for the same reason, and Vernon was trying (and failing) to get everyone to _SHUT UP! _Throughout all this, Harry stayed quiet. The twins were sent up to their room for the rest of the day with a promise of extra chores tomorrow.

Climbing the stairs slowly, Lea managed to catch some of Petunia and Dudley's conversation; it was the usual talk of tea at his friend's house, but every once and a while there would be a complaint of the letter being burned before he could see it. Petunia shut those arguments down alarmingly quickly, saying something about the letters being 'unnatural'. Lea could only guess at what she meant by that, however, none of her thoughts made much sense, so she let it go. Harry had done the same, but he was slightly more accepting of the whole 'anything is possible' thing, so he stored the knowledge away for later.

As Lea followed her brother through the door to the bedroom, she saw that the other twin had a curious smile on his face. She had absolutely no clue what could have made him grin like that, so she gave him a skeptical gaze. Her queries were answered as he slowly pulled an envelope out of his oversized jacket. Of course, he had only given Aunt Petunia one letter, and they had both received them! With a huge grin on her face, Azalea shut the door and bounded over to see what all the fuss was about. When he pulled out the first sheet of paper, Harry read its contents in a splendorous voice, ignoring Lea's sounds of protest. After all, it was her letter!

Harry was about to read, but as he was starting, Sienna slithered up to listen to the odd letter she had heard the twins arguing about.

"Okay, I'll speak in Parseltongue, then. Hem, hem. (AN; Or another throat clearing sound that _doesn't _sound like Umbridge.) *****Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore.* A bunch of awards, blah, blah, blah… oh, here we go. *Dear Ms. Potter,* that's you, *We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on September first. We will await your owl by no later than July thirty-first. Yours sincerely,* some lady called Minerva McGonagall, who I assume is the deputy headmistress. Wow, look, Lea, it has a list of supplies and everything! If this is a prank, whoever sent it went all out."

"This does not look to be a- what did you call it -prank, humans. The seal residing on the front reeks of honest intentions." Sienna's two cents scrambled every opinion Lea had gathered about the mail.

Looking at the documents, she had to admit that the whole incident was peculiar. Each slip of paper was written in emerald ink on a rough material that looked either very expensive or very old. Harry agreed that it most likely wasn't a prank, but that left what? That it was real? No way.

"If it's not a practical joke, then what should we do about it?" Harry asked.

"Well, we could always send a reply. It couldn't hurt anything since they already know our address and names." Sienna agreed, so when they left to do chores the next day, Lea offered to retrieve Petunia's purse from the car because she always left it in there. Before bringing it back, she slipped a stamp from an inner pocket, and the plan to write a letter was on. Harry's job was to nick a pen from Uncle Vernon's office while cleaning, and Sienna was to get the paper and envelope. Somehow. How she was going to manage to do that with no hands was a mystery, but she had been very insistent to help.

When all the materials had been gathered, Lea (Harry was still in the garden) used the tiny desk in the corner of their room to address a letter to this 'Hogwarts' place. She wrote-

"Dear person at 'Hogwarts' or whoever is sending fake letters to me and my brother,

I have no clue who you are or what your deal is, but magic isn't real, so please knock it off. I don't know what your motive for choosing me or Harry for this was, but please, stop doing whatever it is that you plan to do. We do not appreciate whatever is gaining us this special attention and are really quite annoyed by this due to the fact that we were put under house arrest by our relatives for receiving this.

Thanks, Azalea Lily and Harold James Potter

(P.S. On the TINY, MINUSCULE CHANCE that this is a legitimate offer, could you please send someone that is competent enough to explain to me and Harry what in the world Hogwarts is? Thanks!)"

That evening, when the twins were sent out to put the bills in the mailbox, they also slipped in their letter. Lea was doubtful that they'd get so much as a reply, but she sincerely hoped this would stop any further joke mail. Deep inside, however, both she and Harry hoped that it was a real opportunity to get away from the Dursleys, even though they _knew_ that magic didn't exist. It wasn't given a mention in any study books, and they held everything that had ever been looked into. It was simply impossible.

The next few days, the twins were treated with cold indifference by all of their relatives. They did chores every day, rarely getting more than table scraps for meals, and were locked in their room at seven o' clock sharp with no dinner. These increments of solitude were never really a bother though. Sienna was always fun to hang around with, and she told good jokes even if half of them didn't make sense in English. The three misfits would usually trade stories or simply just talk well into the night.

"Tell me something odd about yourselves, twins," Sienna requested one particularly warm night.

The twins exchanged glances that seemed to hold an entire conversation in an instant. _Should we trust her? We did take her in, but it's always been something peculiar that everyone left right after hearing. Nothing to lose though. _Their speech was fragmented, switching between the two speakers like it always did when they were particularly nervous.

Harry started. "Well, there is one thing that seems to happen all the time-"

"And it's really quite odd, we can never understand-"

"Why people keep doing it. You see, sometimes there will be these people dressed in extremely odd looking clothes, and when they see us-"

"They bow or look like they want to say something. No one ever does, of course, because Aunt Petunia-"

"Pulls us away and interrogates us about it. They're always different people. Once, there was a short guy in a tall purple top hat, another time it was a lady in a dress with a billowy robe-looking thing around it, and there was also that one time-"

"It was an old guy in a dressing gown, wasn't it? Yeah, he had appeared out of nowhere." Sienna was looking back and forth between Harry and Lea. She didn't seem to know which one was even talking anymore. Lea was afraid that she would laugh it off or leave as all her other friends had. If they could even be called that. But she only looked thoughtful.

"Humans, have any other odd things happened to you? Things that didn't seem possible?" Now it was Harry's turn to look thoughtful.

"There was the time that Lea and my hair grew back completely overnight after that horrid haircut that Aunt Petunia gave us. What was her reasoning again? Ah, yes, 'to be rid of that unmanageable scruff of tangles' on my head, and to 'make it so that you will actually be able to see your work so that you don't make a mess of a hole in Dudley's favorite trousers again'. Make a hole, _yeah right, _that was from when he fell after trying to follow you up a tree when he was Freak Hunting with that vile Pier Polkins kid!"

Lea jumped in when she finished. "And when those ugly sweaters she was going to make us wear shrunk in the wash, even though nothing else in the load did."

Sienna squirmed in what looked like anticipation. "You might wish to prepare for the possibility that the letter may have been legitimate. Perhaps create a list of queries for the writer?" When pestered further, Sienna would not say anything more, so the twins, confused as they were, started on the things she suggested.

Despite their raging doubts, they worked as hard as they could on the questions for the next few days because it was kind of fun to imagine that they could be whisked away from Privet Drive. Also, there was nothing better for them to do. Their list looked something like this:

Is there a proper place to buy magical supplies and such?

Why did 'Hogwarts' say that they would *await our owl*?

What is studied at Hogwarts?

Why do our scars match so exactly? Is that related to magic?

Are there magical creatures?

Are werewolves, zombies, or vampires real?

Who teaches at Hogwarts?

Is there any danger of going to school there?

Where is Hogwarts? Other magical areas of importance?

How have regular people never seen magic?

Along with about five-hundred more questions that grew more and more peculiar as they went on. They were really more funny than serious, for Lea and Harry still thought the whole thing was nothing more than a joke, and nothing could convince them otherwise. That was, until a man with sandy-brown hair knocked on the front door right after the twins had been locked in, asking after twins named Harold and Azalea Potter.

* * *

AN: I am in need of a beta. It's not all that immediate, but it'd be greatly appreciated to have someone look over my work if anyone wants to or knows someone who might. Thanks!


	3. Chapter 3

_**CHAPTER**_ _**THREE**_

People?! like?! my?! work?! The response this fic has been getting is completely unprecedented (especially because this is majorly me procrastinating doing other things), thank you so much! Comments wise, yes the twins will be more independent of adults than canon Harry because they grew up with each other and not only the Dursleys, so it's instinctive to lean on the other rather than anyone older. This chapter is from Remus Lupin's point of view.

Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction using characters from the _Harry Potter_ world, which is trademarked by J. K. Rowling. The settings and characters used in this story, other than my own creation, Azalea Lily Potter, belong to her. She is the best author ever to let all of us fanfic writers mess up her creative sandbox! Thank you!

* * *

Remus Lupin was in a terrible state. For the past ten years, he had been living off of meager pay in jobs that he was always fired from after a couple months. You see, Remus was a werewolf, and prejudice against werewolves in the Wizarding World was a long-standing tradition for most of the people in it. Despite opinions to the contrary, werewolves were perfectly normal human beings for the majority of the month, and it was only during the night of the full moon that the actual wolf emerged. As soon as his absences were tracked down to the moon cycle, he would be without pay again, looking for another job. While all this was going on, he was still mourning for his best friends' deaths.

All this changed when Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry apparated onto his doorstep.

"Professor Dumbledore!" Remus was shocked. No one had bothered contacting him for a long time.

"Good morning, Remus,and please, call me Albus, I have not been your Professor for some time," Pro- _Albus_ said cheerfully.

"Please, come in. I'm afraid I don't have any refreshments to offer, but make yourself at home." Albus smartly sat on a chair, perching on the edge of his seat. "Now, Remus," Dumbledore began, "you know that Harold and Azalea Potter's birthday is coming up quite soon."

Wondering why he was asking, the werewolf replied. "Yes, headmaster. I still don't see why you won't let me send them any gifts, you know it would be no bother." In fact, Remus had requested to send gifts and letters every year, but the headmaster always denied him the address. In fact, he blocked all outside communication for the Potters for their own safety, of course.

"It seems that their aunt and uncle deemed it unnecessary to inform them of magic. After sending their Hogwarts letter, we received this from the ministry. They sent it via the muggle postal system." With that, he handed over an open letter. With his enhanced senses, (the full moon had been only three nights before)he could tell that it had the twins' scent all over it.

"Dear person at 'Hogwarts' or whoever is pranking me and my brother,

I have no clue who you are or what your deal is, but magic isn't real, so please knock it off. I don't know what your motive for choosing me or Harry for this was, but please, stop doing whatever it is that you plan to do. We do not appreciate whatever is gaining us this special attention and are really quite annoyed by this due to the fact that we were put under house arrest by our relatives for receiving this.

Thanks, Azalea Lily and Harold James Potter

(P.S. On the TINY, MINUSCULE CHANCE that this is a legitimate offer, could you please send someone that is competent enough to explain to me and Harry what in the world Hogwarts is? Thanks!)"

Remus was shocked. "They thought it was a prank?!" he asked, fuming. "Even the Marauders would never have done something so cruel! They should have been raised on stories of Hogwarts! It's literally their birthright! Magic should have been second nature to them! It should have-"

"Focusing on the 'should haves' will only lead to guilt and anger. We must make the best of this situation. In light of their ignorance in all things magical, you can see that we need someone to explain everything to Harold and Azalea, let them know where they stand." Remus saw where he was going.

"No. No, no, no, no. Sir, you can't possibly be suggesting that _I_ should be the one to…?" Dumbledore was nodding, seemingly pleased with how quickly Remus had caught on. "Absolutely not! You need to pick someone else, Professor, a person with my condition… I just can't do it!" he cried.

Albus gave a smile of understanding that always frustrated Remus to no end. "Can't, Remus? Or won't?" The man in question sighed in defeat, none of his objections would work against the headmaster. Resigned to the fact that, whatever he did, Albus would end up winning, he asked when he should collect the twins.

"Now would be perfectly fine. You can find them at Number Four, Privet Drive in Surrey. After all, Hogwarts can't go without the Marauders' heirs for long, now can she?" The headmaster departed as suddenly as he had come, leaving Remus to wonder how he always seemed to end up in situations like this.

* * *

Walking up to the doorway on Number Four, Privet Drive, Remus felt that there were not just a couple of butterflies in his stomach, but an entire swarm. He hadn't seen the Potter twins in ten years, but he felt as if he had to try to connect with them somehow. They had been a constant in his life, never mind that he hadn't seen or heard from them. He shoved away his worries and knocked on the door. Immediately, a woman Remus knew as Petunia Evans, no, Dursley now, opened the door. She always was unpleasant, so he wasn't surprised to see a haughty look on her face.

"Hello Petunia, it's good to see you again. May I speak with the Potter twins, please?" Mrs. Dursley promptly fainted. After all, it had been ten years since she had seen Remus, to. _I'll take that as a 'yes', then, _he thought to himself. He picked Petunia up, laid her on the couch, and closed the door. When he turned around, he was startled to say the least to see a fairly large man behind him. He smirked. _This must be Mr. Dursley, then. _

"Are you Mr. Dursley? I'm here to see Harold and Azalea. Could you please show me to their room?" Vernon was at a loss for words for a moment, but as soon as he regained what little composure he had, his expression grew into a snarl.

"So," he began. "Your one of _their sort, _are you?"

"If you mean am I a wizard, then yes, I am. Could you please show me to the twins?" Remus repeated. How many times was he going to have to ask before the day was done? Finding no reason to deny him, Mr. Dursley grunted in defeat and stepped aside, pointing up the stairs.

"Second door on the left," was the only reply.

He calmly ascended the stairs looking considerably more calm than he actually felt. His thoughts carried him all the way to the second bedroom, inches away from the door. Reaching his hand out to knock, he suddenly heard something peculiar. Hissing? Did they have a pet snake? He hadn't thought the Dursleys were the type of people to allow pets. Curious, he cast a charm on the wall to allow himself to see through it without alarming the Potters. The first thing he saw was a long serpent, but it didn't seem to be attacking or even moving very much. Then, he saw the twins.

Harry was a splitting image of his father at that age if a bit thinner and shorter. And of course, his eyes were those of his mother as they always had been. Speaking of his mother, Lea was a double of her, again, but for James' eyes. Seeing them again after ten years blew the wind out of the wizard, and he had to take a moment to regain his senses. His cubs were here, after all!

Harry inspected the door, said something under his breath, and rejoined the odd little group. Then, _he_ started to hiss, and so did Lea! They were having a conversation with the snake! They were parselmouths! Remus tried to stay calm. Parselmouths are notorious for being dark wizards, and while that wasn't necessarily a bad thing, dark magic was highly illegal. He didn't want them in Azkaban, not like… no. Don't think about that. He was a werewolf, and they were parselmouths. None of this mattered.

After a couple of deep breaths, he knocked on the door. As soon as it opened, he began, "Hello, my name is Remus Lupin. I was sent by the headmaster of Hogwarts to introduce you to the Wizarding World, something that should have happened a long time ago." Still a bit winded, he added at the last second, "I also knew your parents very well."

The twins looked at each other, confused, and then turned to Remus with matching glares. Arms crossed, they began to interrogate him. "How did you get our address? How do you know our names? Is this a prank? How do we know you aren't a murderer trying to get us out of the house so you can kill us or something equally ridiculous?" Remus answered all of their questions as best he could, seeing James in them for the more obscure accusations and Lily for the pointed ones.

After that, he told them the ways of the wizarding world. They took a little convincing because of their upbringing, but eventually they came around despite the amount of credit they put in muggle sciences. It was amazing how many small details he took for granted that needed lengthy descriptions, like portraits.

"I wonder what James and Lily will think of you two. I haven't seen their portraits since they were painted, and I can't wait to activate them, assuming they're in the Potter vault." The portraits had been enchanted to age with the couple so that they'd never have to have another made, but when they died, the portraits had stopped changing. "They'll have to be triggered by you two because of your Potter blood, but I'm sure they'll be ecstatic to see you, even if it has been a long time."

Lea and Harry looked to be very confused. "Mr. Lupin," Lea said, "you talk about the portraits as if they have feelings- can think."

"First of all, please call me Remus or Mooney," Remus started. It hurt a little, realizing that they really didn't really know him. Come to think of it, he didn't really know them, either. "Second, that's because they do." The Potters exchanged bewildered looks. "Magical portraits, while not the same people as they are or were in life (never forget that, you two), can interact with people in the same manner as they would as living, breathing beings."

"Can we see them now?" Harry begged. He had always wanted a real family, Lea knew. She did as well, so together, they convinced Remus via lots of begging and puppy dog eyes to bring them to their vault at Gringotts that weekend. They also had to get school supplies, but that was beside the point.

* * *

As they enjoyed their trip through Diagon Alley, the twins grew impatient to meet some form of their parents. Eventually, they stepped into Gringotts. It was their first stop because they couldn't get anything else without money, and Remus' wizarding etiquette lessons via owl had them ready to learn about their heritage.

"Good morning, may your gold flow freely. I need to see the Potter account manager." The teller was stunned silent for a moment with Remus' use of proper goblin etiquette, for it had fallen out of practice among wizards long ago.

"And who is it that demands his presence?" the banker sneered.

"The heirs to the Potter fortune, Harold James Potter and Azalea Lily Potter. They will also need everlasting galleon pouches, three keys each that will self destruct if required, and two inheritance scrolls." The goblin started, called immediately for someone called Griphook, and went to get the items Remus requested.

When Griphook arrived, he took the three down to vault six hundred eighty-seven. It held the twin's trust fund. They were of the opinion that it was a small fortune, and Remus couldn't stop himself from giving a laugh.

"If you two think this is a lot, just wait until you see the rest of the vaults."

Harry and Lea exchanged a glance. "There's even more!?" they exclaimed in unison. It really was creepy, their ability to do things like that, but they were magical twins, so it was to be expected.

"Yes, at least two more. This is just the trust vault for your Hogwarts fees and supplies. There's also the Potter family vault and at least one more for each of you which probably have about triple what's in here as well as heirlooms, books, and all sorts of other objects like your parents' portraits. Actually, we might be able to find your grandparents in there as well…" Remus was lost in thought.

"Come on, Moony! Can we _please_ go back up so that we can get clearance to go and see?" Harry begged. Lea, not to be outdone, added on, "Pretty please, Remus? We'll be perfect little angels for the rest of the day, we promise!" with the last phrase being spoken by both Potters.

Remus outright laughed. "Perfect little angels, of course." Like the children of _James 'Prongs' Potter, king of pranksters_ would be _anything_ but. With a mischievous look in their eyes, the mix matched group headed back up to the goblin offices


	4. Chapter 4

_**CHAPTER FOUR**_

Hey! I'm back, and this'll be chapter- is it four now? Wow, it took me way too long to get this far. (For me, I mean. It's probably only been a week or two since the first update for y'all.) This time, I'm gonna specifically ask for reviews of all types, but flames will be met with snark and sass. You have been warned!

Anyways, disclaimer: All the things I'm writing about here, excepting lil' Azalea, are the creations of the one and only High Queen J.K. Rowling the Magnificent of, er, not Narnia. (Hogwarts maybe? It is a castle!) I make no claim to any of it, I'm just playing around and probably messing it up quite a bit. :)

* * *

Ascending the tunnels, no one even attempted to talk because of how fast the railway was going. The goblin had said that there was only one speed available, but Lea doubted that. How would they get their old, sick, and rich people all the way down? They probably just said that because they enjoyed the wizards' reactions to the lightning-fast carts. Personally, she enjoyed the rush of elation that the high speeds brought, and she could see Harry did as well. Mr. Lupin- _no, Moony_ she reminded herself, didn't look too good though. She still needed to ask _why_ he wanted them to call him Moony, but there would be time for that later.

They arrived back at the surface and departed the cart just as it began to roll away. Back in the meeting room, Griphook introduced them to a new goblin, who was standing near what Lea assumed to be the items Moony had asked for.

"This is Nokridge. He will be talking you through the process of claiming your inheritance." The goblin grinned. _He looks like a menacing cheshire cat. _

"First, you will want to use the inheritance scrolls. Sign your name at the top with a blood quill. Both of you." Harry and Lea looked uneasily at each other and came to a silent agreement.

"What is a blood-

"Quill, and what does it-

"Do in regards to our-

"Health and safety?" the twins finished together, standing side by side with their arms crossed. They each wouldn't let the other do anything that might result in serious injury. Nokridge did a double take, poised himself, and explained that, while blood quills _did_ take blood and make cuts on your hand when used, and they _were_ considered dark magic by the ministry, it was the only way to gain genuine proof of what they owned and didn't _really_ hurt. Taking a deep breath, they nodded in unison to signal that they had no further arguments. Taking a quill each they signed quickly and hissed in pain at the mark, but other than that there was no reaction to the pain. Remus looked a bit worried, but that was probably just him being him. Right?

Names, numbers, and odd symbols had begun to appear underneath their names, and there were _lots_ of them. Even Nokridge looked shocked at how many fortunes the Potters owned. The gist of it was-

Harold J. 'Harry' Potter-

Potter

Evans

Peverel

Riddle

Longbottom

Gryffindor

Slytherin

Ravenclaw

Hufflepuff

Hogwarts

Azalea L. 'Lea' Potter-

Potter

Evans

Peverel

Riddle

Black

Gryffindor

Slytherin

Ravenclaw

Hufflepuff

Hogwarts

Harry and Lea looked at each other in surprise. That was a lot of vaults, and if they remembered correctly from Moony's crash course in wizarding history, a lot of _old_ vaults and therefore a lot of money. And heirlooms and artefacts, can't forget those. After a speedy conversation regarding what in Merlin's name they were supposed to do about it all, the twins turned to Nokridge and said, "We want weapons." The blunt statement caused the goblin to grin maniacally with fire in his eyes.

_These younglings certainly know how to get a party started. _"I will admit, it would be wise to carry some sort of concealable weapons because of the current political climate as well as the fact that neither of you can use a wizard's wand yet." Remus was shaking his head. Arguing fiercely, he was of the opinion that no children should _need_ to carry weapons nor should they feel unsafe enough to _want _to. He supposed it was his fault, though. He hadn't held anything back about the first war. They deserved to know.

"Well, because you each have many vaults to visit, Mr. Lupin must stay here. Only blood relations and legal guardians can enter the family vaults, so sir if you will please wait here for the extra keys, we will be off." The twins requested to do the Potter vault last. They wanted to get all of their business with Gringotts completed before they met their parents, no matter how much they hated waiting.

As they arrived at the first vault, Gryffindor, they could hardly stand for all the magic in the air. It was filled with gold, gold, and more gold. There was galleons, shining string around ancient scrolls, and all sorts of riches that neither Lea nor Harry would ever know what to do with.

Suddenly, a silver sword, two twin blades, and two other small objects started to glow and rose into the air. The sword shot towards Harry at lightning (A.N. Get it? :P) speed along with one of the small objects. The other small one and the thinner swords rocketed to Lea who grabbed them out of the air with the skill of a professional seeker (though she didn't know it yet) and caught the ring on the edge of her left sword. Harry had to do some quick thinking and dropped to the ground before the hilt of the sword could smack him in the head as it skidded to a stop at his feet after making a u turn in the air. The ring dropped on top of his head with a klunk. Lea giggled.

Nokridge looked back and forth between the Potters wide-eyed and hurriedly told them to keep the objects with them in their expandable galleon pouches until later. They arranged that an owl would be sent to them with details about each vault later for an easy trip today before heading to Slytherin.

There, another single sword flew up and headed for Lea, and the two thin ones headed for Harry. Two more rings also made the journey. Slytherin had more silver than gold, and the majority of the things stowed away looked to be objects of some ancient, magical origin.

At the Hufflepuff vault, there was more gold, as in Gryffindor, and there was art of all sorts all around. Tapestries, gowns fit for queens, paintings, sketches that looked to be early concepts for some of today's inventions, and so much more.

Nothing flew to the twins, but two boxes began to glow. One was longer and more flat, while the other was… oddly shaped to say the least. They each opened a box to find one containing a gorgeous bow and arrows and the other with _many_ different knives. There were ones long enough to be small swords, tiny ones that looked sharp enough for surgery, hunting knives that looked to be able to strap to an arm or leg, and throwing knives with firm grips. Merlin, there were even shurikens! Harry seemed to gravitate towards the bow, so Lea took the knives. Nokridge snatched two more rings from a jewelry corner and handed one to each of the twins.

Next was Ravenclaw. It had silver, like Slytherin, and there were books, scrolls, writings, long written spells, and journals enough to last several lifetimes. The same thing happened as did in Hufflepuff, but this time, Harry grabbed the knives and Lea took the bow. They looked at each other and decided to look more closely at the tools later and out of reach from prying eyes/ears, all without Nokridge suspecting a thing as he searched for more rings, though neither Harry nor Lea knew why they were so important.

The Hogwarts vault, however historical, was largely unexciting because most of the school's money had been spent by the board of governors, the same board that always complained about the lack of funds. There was, however, a large book that detailed how Hogwarts was to be run when the Founders passed on. Harry opted to keep that one in the vault so that no one else could get it.

"Now that we're the heirs, the governors can't get in here anymore."

Peverall, at first glance, seemed like an unwealthy line, but after a couple of seconds of standing in silence, glancing at the others, three objects appeared in the middle of the room in a flamboyant burst of black light(A.N. I know it doesn't check out, I mean, "_Flamboyant, black_ _light_? Huh?" but y'all know what I mean.).

There was a wand(!), a ring(!), and a silvery cloak(!). The twins were about to inspect the objects when Nokridge suddenly yelped, "Stop!" He rushed forward, peered at the ring, gasped, and made some bizarre rune in the air before backing the twins out of the vault immediately.

He explained about the powers of the three deathly hallows and how now, no others would be able to abuse their powers. Assuredly, he informed them that no one would be touching them until the Potters were of age.

They weren't allowed into any other vaults besides the Evans and Potter family because the original benefactors were still using them, and they were only permitted to use the gold when the owners, who were actually in line to gain guardianship of Harry and Lea, which they were astounded to hear(that's why all those names were on their inheritance scrolls), stated they were allowed to.

The next situation, however, was a tad different. Both Lea and Harry, shockingly, were the magical heirs of Tom Marvolo Riddle, aka Voldemort, but he had no funds because he had gotten school supplies from the Hogwarts muggle born fund, and he hadn't used Gringotts as his bank after school. Therefore, the twins only had access to different rituals provided by the goblins to get them the power available for the Riddle heirs, but no finances, which was why his name hadn't appeared on the paper. These rituals were available for all of their inheritances, but the magic would come into play when they turned seventeen no matter what. Nokridge's theory was that Tommy had left an imprint on them when he struck them with his killing curse, accidentally making them more powerful.

"We can get you a full assessment after looking over your assets here. Our cursebreakers are top of the line," he briskly informed them.

Evans was largely uneventful, but Lily's old school trunk was still there gathering dust. All of the family things would be in the main Potter vault which was drawing nearer every second. Lea could tell that Harry was terrified beyond her imagination. Well, she could probably imagine it seen as she felt the same way, and she knew that Harry knew it, too. They looked at each other, taking comfort in their twin(A.N. Sorry for the cheesiness, but it's about 1 at night on a weekend and I can't sleep so this is what you get as a result of my insomnia), and they held hands as they faced forward, ready for whatever tear jerkers might lie within their magical roots.

After a reminder that, until they were of age, they couldn't take any money from the vault, but anything else was fair game so long as it was approved by the goblin accompanying them, Harry shook Lea out of her daydreaming stance and led her (and himself if he was honest) into the room. It took all of his courage not to turn back. Who knows what might be in there? One look at Lea told him that she was having the same fears, and so they bravely strode further in as one unit. (A.N. Okay, end of what was written at 1 at night. *sigh* I still can't sleep, but goodnight anyways, fanfic of randomness!)

(A.N. Alright, we're good, it's no longer 1:00 at night in author-land.) There was so. Much. Gold! Even more than all of the founders combined! The Potter family must have been ancient. _I mean, I knew that we weren't badly off because- well- all the other vaults, but this is just getting ridiculous! _Lea was knocked off of her feet. Both she and Harry had a spark in their eyes, and they raced off past the mounds of gold and towards what they assumed to be a portrait hall.

There were still paintings of lots of people. There were many, many elderly people that looked like grandparents of grandparents of grandparents further back, but at the very start of the many mementos, there were five that looked more recent.

They were there. A lively woman with eyes just like Harry's, and a man identical to him but with Lea's smile and hazel orbs. There were also three men, one that had to be Mr- _Moony_, a dark haired man with a mischievous air about him, and a light-brown haired dude in work robes with awe in his watery eyes. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, Prongs, and Petals. The marauders, they were labeled. Their parents and uncles, about to speak with their only remaining kin.


	5. Chapter 5

_**CHAPTER FIVE**_

Hello Again! Chapter Five has begun, and it's gonna be totally awesome. Hehe. "A Very Potter Musical" is the best.

Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING BUT LEA. Take that, lawyers! The Wizarding World and most anything reliant on or related to it belongs to the Wizarding World and those who own/ are in charge of it.

* * *

Waving Nokridge over, they explained that they wanted to activate the portraits. He said that all they had to do was touch the frame, and the painting they needed would automatically activate. Harry, always the overprotective brother, stepped up first and felt along the edge of their parents' frame. Lily and James Potter began to blink.

Lily recovered enough to speak first. "Harry? Lily?"

"Yeah mum, it's…" Harry hesitated.

"It's us," Lea finished.

"Why do you look so nervous? Did something happen in the war?" They knew their parents were perceptive from the few stories Moony had told them, but they hadn't thought they'd be called out so quickly!

"Come to think of it, why did it take so long to come and get these in the first place? You look almost nine years old!"

Nine? Really? "Okay, first of all, we're eleven. It's not our fault Petunia refuses to feed us."

"Petunia? We put in our will you weren't supposed to go to them by any means! James, how-"

"Flower, maybe we should just let them tell us what happened because obviously, something happened." He gave them that look only parents are able to pull off (which the twins were giddy to finally be on the receiving end of), so they explained. About how they were raised, Remus coming to get them, finding out about magic, everything they knew. Moony would have to fill in some holes, but that was between him and their parents.

"Let me get this straight. We're dead, you've been with Tuney your whole lives, you've only just met Remus, and Voldemort is dead but only mostly?"

"And we will be discussing with Remus what else happened before making assumptions, right, James?" Lily said. After James agreed, they activated the two unfamiliar men's portraits.

"Oi! Wormtail, Padfoot, wake up!" James shouted. Lily smacked him.

As they reoriented, Nokridge called out that they only had five minutes left in the vault. While James caught his mates up with the story, Lily instructed the twins to find a box of amulets, each with a 'family' portrait hanging on the end. They had made them, she said, just in case something happened. They would be able to visit the pictures any time they wanted.

Grabbing the ornate box, Harry and Lea ran from the room.

Nokridge had been getting slightly impatient.

When they arrived back at the surface level of the bank, Remus met them with a smile on his face, asking if they met them. Knowing full well who 'them' was, Lea pulled out the box and showed him the amulets. Taking one out Harry called for their parents.

Lily and James came out first. With a soft smile, Remus greeted them. Then, the other two came. Moony had to visibly calm himself down upon the appearance of the dark haired man. Padfoot, he was called, right? What's wrong with him?

"Wormtail, Sirius. Good to see you." The watery eyed man was extremely nervous looking, and Sirius, James, and Lily glared daggers at him.

"Before you say anything, Moony," James piped up, "you should know that… well, you see-"

"We switched secret keepers from me to Wormtail," Sirius butted in, practically growling the last name.

"What- but that would mean-"

"The traitor gave them to Voldemort!" With that, he dove toward the man. He had Peter Pettigrew written across his frame, but I don't think he deserves a painting for that frame to hold! Lea viciously thought.

"We talked it out while the kids were on their way back up. If you will, please have Peter's portrait destroyed and any items of his in our vaults looked over," Lily said. The order was relayed to Griphook as the Potter account manager.

Lea and Harry were caught up in a whirlwind of emotions. Why had this person, Peter, betrayed their parents? Who was he to them in the first place? They needed answers, and no one was giving them up anytime soon. Coming to the conclusion that any young person would, they decided to get the adults' attention.

Side by side, they ranted, "Could someone please explain-"

"What in blazes is going on here?"

"Of course, it's not like this affects us."

"The people who are actually alive,-"

"Your children, you know,-"

"Who have no background for this whatsoever!" They thundered out as one for the finale.

The sudden silence was broken by an awed Sirius. "Merlin, they're worse than the Prewetts were! Definitely your pups, Petal."

A lengthy history lesson and mischievous glance later; "Well, are we getting Padfoot out of prison or what?"

With a plan in the workings with the goblins, their vaults all sealed until further notice, and an amulet each, they moved on to rituals. A fact that wasn't commonly known, goblins had the best detectors and removers of curses, enchantments, abilities, and other wanted or unwanted magical add ons in the wizarding world. Stepping into a runic circle, they listened to what the workers would be doing.

Many spells, chants, and potions later, there was a full list of additives affecting the twins available for viewing. The completed paper read:

Azalea Lily Potter/ Harold James Potter

Magical Twins

Shared Soul

Mind Block; 82%

Metamorphmagi

Shift Block; 100%

Magical Core

Spell Block; Accio

Power Block; 47%

Parselmouths

Horcrux

Power Leech

Soul Leech

Mind Leech

Occlumens

Outside Block; 98%

Legilimens

With Magical Twin; 100%

With Others; Depending on Attempt Level

Magic Type

Grey; Full Power For All Magic

The goblin heading up the removal rituals startled at the Horcrux, and though the Potters didn't know what it meant, they trusted he knew best. Surprising the goblin, they authorized whatever the professional opinion was for what would be best.

When asked why they were so surprised, he responded, "Wizards do not often trust other races with their health and safety, much less someone they care very much for. We respect when your kind recognizes situations' real benefits."

With a shark-like grin, he signaled to his partner, and Lea saw black.

By the time she sat back up, it had been several hours; apparently, horcruxes were dark magic and took time to remove. All of the blocks were taken out, and when Harry joined her in consciousness, they were blown away with what they could do because they were magical twins.

"We can communicate in our minds!"

"Yes, that is typical for magical twins because you share a soul. Previously, the natural blockage stopped you from getting more than vague impressions of thoughts, but now you should be able to converse fully," the goblin said.

We could pull so many pranks with this!

Think of all the havoc we could cause with the talking together compared to what we did before!

The chaos!

The cheating!

The ideas!

"Pay attention! This is important!" the goblin scolded. "The accio block was placed by James Potter. It is not uncommon for parents to do these types of blocks when accidental magic tends towards a certain spell, but they can be dangerous if not removed. The other blocks, however, were performed by Albus Dumbledore. You may want to take that up with him."

After several more definitions for what being metamorphmagi, parselmouths, and natural occlumens and legilimens meant politically, personally, and legally as most of their abilities were popularly considered dark magic and therefore obviously evil, they were as prepared as Gringotts could make them to deal with most things from unfortunate situations involving snakes to corrupt politicians. That was probably mostly due to the memory potion they took to absorb information fast, but that was beside the point.

Moony jumped a little upon seeing them at first, but he got his composure back remarkably quickly. Lea supposed that made sense as he was a former prankster himself and was used to abrupt changes.

"Welcome back, cubs. The goblins filled me in on your abilities list, and might I say… wow," he said. "It turns out, Prongs left me in charge of the Potter estates, vaults, and seat on the Wizengamot. I'm also… your magical guardian. Are you two okay with that?"

They nodded. Moony seemed very reasonable; if their mother trusted him, so could they.

"Good, that's settled then. Another thing, their will was never read, so we need to find a date good for that."

They thought for a moment. "Does Christmas break work?" asked Harry. "I think we're off school then, and people have a break scheduled there anyways so they'll be able to come, right?"

They agreed to set the time for four days before Christmas, and the goblins arranged for the necessary owls to be sent out.

Many, many properties were owned by their ancestors: the Potter, Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff Manors, Godric's Hollow Cottage, and Peverel Castle. Dust had been collecting at each and every one of them, so the house elves were told to clean up the homes, much to the tiny creatures' delight.

Leaving their more dangerous inheritances like the swords with someone to look over and determine the value of, they moved on to the rings. (But not without snagging a knife each. You could never be too careful.) There had been one for each family, every piece a different look to it even though they were all fairly simplistic in design.

Potter had a traditional claiming ceremony. Lordship went to the next eldest male as they turned eleven in the case of no older immediate family, so Harry was the receiver. With a shot of maroon and white, the marble griffin pressed into its seal beat its wings with a trill to accept him as the Lord.

The remaining Lordships they qualified for through conquest (Slytherin), their father (Gryffindor and Ravenclaw), and their mother (Hufflepuff; she had a squib descendant) were slightly different. They both qualified for each, so they decided beforehand which they would take.

Though they both technically qualified through the goblins' right of conquest, Slytherin went to Lea. Each twin would receive one warrior house (Hufflepuff or Gryffindor) and one diplomat house (Slytherin or Ravenclaw) so as to balance the energy boosts. Emerald and silver sizzles of energy accompanied increased coils in the metallic snake to approve of her.

Gryffindor headship was handed off to Harry for his beaten-in chivalry. The Dursleys would have nothing less from a young man, as scruffy and unmanageable as he might have been, especially for them. Quick successions of bursting crimson and metallics punctured a gold lion's content purring and pawing at the emblem's lower ridge.

He also received Ravenclaw. Mist engulfed him, and a simple nod to him signified the midnight blue-bronze eagle's consideration and acceptance of his claim.

Hufflepuff, always the best finder, gravitated to Lea of its own accord in need for balance of power. (Of course, Harry and Lea's loyalty both had the ability to get into, out of, and through trouble quickly, and they were evenly matched in willingness to back each other up whether it was on the spot fabrication of alibis or causing a distraction and bolting.) In all of its amber and onyx glory, ghostly foam surrounded her in an excitable hug as the black diamond badger applauded. It was much more expressive than the other totems.

The Slytherin ring was rather inexpressive at being handed off with only a puff of silvery smoke to symbolize the accepted trade off. Maybe the totem was still sore from its last heir's deserting.

Peverel was shared between them because by the requirements set by the three original brothers, it had to go to a set of siblings so that the artifacts coming with the name, which they learned were the Deathly Hallows and very much a real thing that they were not to use before absolutely necessary, didn't give one person too much power. There wasn't a ring available, but the heirlooms being looked over by cursebreakers would be returned to them as their worthiness was proven to the objects. No one would tell Lea what that actually meant, but she supposed they would know when they knew.

Later, Black would go to Lea if they were unable to get Sirius out, but they were hopeful that it would be a last resort. That way, they would have one light and one dark house to balance out the types of magic they were known for, so any future ideas they might put forward would appeal to light, dark, and grey families rather than just one group. After all, their magic was grey regardless.

Hanging the symbols of Ladyship and Lordship respectively on a thin, strong chain around each of their necks enchanted to be invisible to all but the wearer, the Potters stepped back up the first level of Gringotts with a new sense of readiness to face the wizarding world.


	6. Chapter 6

_**CHAPTER SIX**_

Erm, sorry about the lack of reading material, not sorry about my lack of muse. I've got the story mapped out until second year, I promise, but filling in the gaps is harder than worldbuilding. And about it saying I uploaded chap. 5 again; I wasn't happy with it, I fixed up a bit, it's mostly the same. This it's the real upload.

Disclaimer: Any and all of the places, people, and things except Azalea Potter do not belong to me but to Warner Brothers, The Wizarding World, J.K. Rowling, and everyone else associated with and owning bits of the Harry Potter fandom. Thanks for letting us new authors try our luck in writing with your predeveloped characters!

* * *

_Lea, I can see your knife! _Harry said.

Lea startled; their connection was still very new to her, but she recovered fairly quickly. _Thanks for the heads up. Don't want Remus knowing we snuck them out._

_Moony, remember? He said to call him that._

_Ah, right. We still need-_

_To get used to this whole twin connection thing, I know._

_Yeah, it's weird; definitely harder than I thought it would be to get a hold of._

The results in question were soon forgotten in favor of all the color and excitement around them. Diagon Alley was bursting with activity; it was nothing like the corner stores they ran to for groceries!

Lea was amazed at all the magic that people used like it was an everyday thing, and maybe it was for the people who had grown up in this community.

"Can we do that too?" asked Harry.

Moony looked confused. "Do what?"

"Lea just said: the magic, the color, the constant movement. Can we do that when we learn how?"

"Cub, Lea hasn't said anything," he slowly replied. "Oh! It's most likely your new twin bond. Lea, were you thinking about all of the movement and magic in the Alley?" A nod. "That explains it, then. As to your question, yes, you will be able to use magic when you graduate Hogwarts. Not until then, though, because your wands will be tracked by the Ministry once you get them."

There were so many colors and shops and people and Lea was starting to get overwhelmed, _It's loud, we're too loud, Aunt Petunia will be mad, _everything was closing in on her and she could feel the same happening to Harry, which only doubled the awful sensations. There were _too_ many people, too many colors and shapes and noises and-

"Everyone back up! _Now!_" Moony said in almost a snarl. The twins thought his eyes turned amber, but it might have been a trick of the light. The crowd made a space for the Potters, and they shakily got up and, more embarrassed than anything, and rushed to Remus' side again from where they'd been separated by a family of redheads.

After quick assurances that they were all right, everyone continued on with their business. Sure, some obvious looks made their way over to the shiny red and messy black haired kids, but it was better than suffocation by sensory overhaul.

The robe shop, Madam Malkin's Robes For All Occasions, was dull compared to some of the other shops they'd seen by then. The potions supply? It had smells and sights from creatures Lea didn't even know existed until today. Even the trunk store was more exciting. They at least had baggage with blood locks and secret compartments, but this was a bit of a disappointment.

Every window had some form of the same grey, black, or otherwise dark colored, drape-like clothes that every wizard she had seen today was wearing, even Moony! Of course, they knew his robes were a little more shabby than the typical due to his condition and lack of a job because of it, but there was zero originality anywhere!

When it was their turn, they stepped up and got the required school robes, but they also decided to get variants. After all, Lord Potter-Gryffindor-Ravenclaw-Peverel and Lady Slytherin-Hufflepuff-Peverel needed appropriate apparel in which to present themselves to the Wizarding World.

Cloaks, shirts, pants (no skirts because Lea hated to move in them; pants are so much more practical), shoes, and socks for each of them later, Remus shrank their bags, amused at their spending but understanding as to why they bought it all. Nevertheless, he did it with a smirk on his face and suggested they go for ice cream.

_Bump! _"Ugh, get out of my way, mudblood!" said a pale, blond boy around Lea's age. Remus was already out of the store, so she and Harry figured there was no harm in giving him some jitters before Hogwarts started. He looked like the prissy pureblood type, anyways.

"Mudblood? I didn't see any muggleborns."

"Me neither, my esteemed brother. Why, the only one here that might be anything close is this pompous twat."

"Why, you…! Do you know who I am?" he sneered. "My name is Draco Malfoy, heir to the Noble House of Malfoy. If anyone is a mudblood, it would be _you_." Satisfied, he began to turn away.

They had heard of his House from Gringotts, so they were even more excited to mess with him now. "Oh, really? The last I checked, Lord of the Most Noble and Ancient Houses of Potter, Peverel, Gryffindor, and Ravenclaw-"

"And Lady of the Most Noble and Ancient Houses of Peverel, Slytherin, and Hufflepuff _and_ Heiress to the Most Noble and Ancient House of Black-"

"Outrank the _heir_ to a mere _Noble_ House by quite a bit."

"_Wouldn't you say so, Mr. Malfoy?_" the twins finished together with smirks on their faces.

_His face is priceless!_

_I know! We should do this every time some idiot pulls rank on us._

By then, Malfoy composed himself and shakily extended a hand. "My apologies, Lord and Lady. If I may, I would like to offer to begin again. My name is Draco Malfoy, and I apologize for any and all insults I thrust upon both of you." Lea was impressed; this guy actually knew protocol to match the stuff he bragged on about! But, the crash course they had gotten courtesy of Remus had covered this: agree to all alliances without contracts, get the other party to improve in exchange, and look intimidating while doing it.

Harry nodded first, as the higher ranking member of their shared houses; Lea had a heirship where he was a Lord. "Of course, but there are some things you will need to do."

"Yes, I can do anything you want!" Draco hastily agreed. He looked desperate to get in the Potters' good graces.

"You would sign your soul away that easily? What a smart move," Lea noted sarcastically. "First off, stop being such an idiot," she said. "No one wants to be friends when you're rude, so stop using such dirty language. Honestly, if you're going to insult someone, at least be creative about it, and rely on yourself instead of your father's worthless name."

"Sure, yeah. Wait. Friends?"

"That's the second part," Harry continued. "We're willing to be at least friendly or full fledged friends if you act as an acceptable human being from here on out. However, if you don't, the Houses we speak for will have a quarrel with the House of Malfoy. That means no participating in your family's regular crowd's cruel activities, and it goes for your mother, too because you both fall under the jurisdiction of the House of Black."

Together, now: "And, trust us, we have more political, economic, and media pull than Malfoys could ever hope to achieve, so _back off_." Officially scared out of his wits, Draco agreed. Pleased to have avoided a potential political enemy, the twins went off to join their Uncle.

Loaded with a shrunken trunk each with robes, clothes, supplies, and books galore, Harry and Lea raced each other to Ollivander's. Moony said he would catch up, and besides, getting your first wand is an important and personal event.

_Clink! _The door chimed as the twins came into the shop.

_Creepy in here, huh?_

_Definitely, what with all the dust._

_And the old fashioned feel._

_And the-_

"Ah, Mr. and Ms. Potter. I thought I would be seeing you sometime soon." It was Ollivander. He had spoken without warning, so the abrupt break in the musty silence took a moment to process.

Their surprised jump was extremely delayed, but the wand maker took no notice of it. "Actually, sir, it's Lord and Lady," Harry said with a smirk. Okay, _maybe _they were having a little too much fun with the titles...

After measurements of their wand arms, the trial and error of wand finding began. They went at the same time because they were twins because that required twin wand cores. Ollivander had a limited stock of those, but he was confident that they could find a match.

"Unicorn hairs, hawthorn and sugar maple wood, 11 inches and 10 ½ inches; quite the supple pair." An exploded vase and wilted flowers.

"Ashwinder scales from a particularly feisty snake, both redwoods but 9 inches and 12 1/2." Bursts of wind knocking over the display wand by the window.

"I wonder… Phoenix feather, both 11 inches, and holly and alder." A considering spout of sparks, but they caught the rug on fire.

An hour later, they had exhausted all of the operational twin wands. Every set had been tried and tested to no avail, and they had just about given up. Exchanging exhausted glances, Harry and Lea were about to thank him for trying and be on their way when Ollivander got a curious gleam in his eye that the Potters weren't sure they liked.

He whipped around the corner of the back room, leaving his customers without a clue as to what he was doing. After some slightly disturbing noises (like a loud bang, some rustling, and an explosive meow), he returned victoriously grasping two last wands.

"These have been in my family for centuries," he stage whispered, "but none have ever claimed them. The ice phoenixes have since disappeared, but these have some of the last feathers in the world." He was rambling to himself now, but it was intriguing, so Harry and Lea kept listening. "Plucked from one of the most hardy birds my great, great grandfather could find and with yew and English oak. With life and death and standing through time, oh, this may yet be interesting." He handed the works of white and black majesty to first Harry and the Lea. With a wave, snow began to fall on top of them, and flurries appeared around the room. They were gentle snowfalls, just enough that it dissipated by the time it touched the ground.

Grins solidly in place, Lea paid for their wands along with wrist holsters for safe keeping.

"Lea! Look!" Harry got her attention with an excited yell. "Remus has an owl!"

"What!" Lea cried, equally ready to go and see it. "Thank you Mr. Ollivander!" she added as they rushed out the door, leaving the store keeper with a fond smile on his face.

As it turned out, Remus had gotten a handsome brown horned owl. Of course, they wouldn't be sending mail to anyone other than Moony, but Pinecone could stay at Hogwarts whenever he wasn't delivering.

"Do you have an owl, Moony?" asked Harry.

"No, I… I can't exactly afford one right now," Remus responded.

_Are you thinking what I'm thinking? _Lea grinned over at her twin.

He gave her an amused side eye. _Seen as I can clearly tell what it is, I'd hope so._

_But are you?_

_Yes, Lea, I agree with your idea, my wonderful, exquisite, glorious-_

_Oh, shut up, Harry._

Moony was about to tell them something, possibly a suggestion of finally getting the ice cream, when the twins grabbed a hold of his wrists and dragged him to the pet shop. There, they gifted him a younger and earnest little bird who he named Scuffle after much protesting. Eventually, he accepted the gift but only because they guilted him into it with their best innocent faces.

Quality Quidditch Supplies led them to the new Nimbus 2000s. According to Remus, James was a quidditch enthusiast and would have wanted them to have them, but they were hesitant at spending their new found money on something that seemed so frivolous, and that money would be gone permanently.

Brooms were expensive, and there was no money for sports before! Dudley would rather watch television, so they had never even had hand me downs for that. Would they even be any good? They talked themselves into it after James egged them on from the locket and Lily laughed and lent her support as well. They left with an engraved set of Nimbuses, though it still seemed like too much to Harry and Lea.

Regardless, ice cream was ahead and there was no one stopping them from trying every flavor Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor had to offer! Well, except for Moony.


	7. Chapter 7

_**CHAPTER SEVEN**_

Online school was _killer, _blegh. The work wasn't bad, but doing everything on a screen isn't my favourite. Now, if my bloody muse will cooperate, chapters should happen… sometime. I usually write at night, but my brain has recently gotten some issue with writing on my tablet, and I don't have the patience to boot up my school computer (it takes ages), so… yeah. Might be getting a new laptop this summer, though, so that'll be nice.

Disclaimer: Do not own, yadda yadda yadda.

* * *

"Maybe sugar isn't my thing."

"Yeah," groaned Harry. "It's definitely not the best in large quantities."

*_snort_* "Understatement." After eating at Fortescue's, the small amount of ice cream they had irritated Harry and Lea's stomachs because they'd never had something so sweet before.

Remus smiled, amused: "I'm sure you'll get used to it eventually, cubs. We do need to get you some actual dinner, though, so let's stop at the Leaky Cauldron before dropping you off back home, shall we?" The twins scowled when he called the Dursleys' house _home_, but they followed him to the food.

After ordering the daily special, vegetable stew today, the mix-matched group sat in a corner to talk and eat. Having already learned the truth of the Marauders and Remus' furry little problem (he was hesitant about telling them at first, but it was vital to understand the Marauder story; they didn't really get what he was so worried about, though), the twins hung on Remus' every word as he delighted them with stories of pranks, failed proposals to Lily back in their early Hogwarts years, and animagus trials.

"Moony, could we be animagi?" interrupted Harry.

"Yeah, it sounds like so much fun!" said Lea. "Imagine being a hawk! You could fly!"

"Or a horse! You could run so fast!"

Remus snorted at their eagerness. "Becoming animagi is a lot harder than it seems from the stories, you two; you should probably ease into the wizarding world and get used to it before attempting anything too complex. Not to mention, the process _is_ illegal."

"That reminds me," he continued, "I should get you two in contact with everyone in your Houses. You'll probably meet some of them during Yule, but it's important to establish relationships with the people you're in charge of. Also, Nymphadora, Sirius' cousin, is a metamorphmagus, like you. You could get some tips from her."

"What," started Lea-

"Like doing this?" finished her twin as their hair cycled through the rainbow." Remus snorted into his pumpkin juice.

_Ha! Told you it would make him laugh. That diplomatic stuff was starting to give me a headache._

_No it wasn't, dummy. It is nice to get him laughing, though._

When the soup bowls were scraped clean and they had outlived their welcome at the pub only getting refills, the twins sourly followed Remus back to Diagon for a portkey back to Privet Drive. Moony wanted to expose them to as many methods for magical transportation as he could, he explained, so they wouldn't be caught unaware.

Just as they were about to enter the transport shop, a witch in bold red shouted, "Oh my god! It's Harry and Lea Potter!" They were swarmed by passing magicals trying to get a handshake, a glance, and, by one memorable wizard, a fistful of hair. Another wave of panic shifted through the Potters, only magnified by their mental connection, and they only just managed to slam the door of the shop behind Remus to escape the crowd.

_I'm _never _going through that again._

_Agreed, but we'd have to become completely different… people…_

_To avoid it! That's brilliant! Now to convince Moony-_

_Good cop, bad cop?_

_Sure, I'll act the mad and distressed preteen, and you look super collected. Ready?_

_Go!_

"Are we going to have to go through _that_ every time we pop into a wizarding place?" said Lea.

The overwhelmed act seemed to go over fairly well; Remus tried to placate her, but failed to notice Harry stewing behind him, as well.

"We can't push through that much panic, it sets off a whole bundle of unreleased stress from the Dursleys' strict noise roles. Don't be heard and you don't get punished, and all that. Therefore, _something_ clearly needs to be done about it." He held up a hand to stop Remus from speaking. "No, I'm not done, I have an idea. If we become different people with new appearances and unknown names, no one will notice us and we won't have any more panic attacks. It's a win-win, really."

"And," jumped in Lea before Remus could gather a protest, "we can _actually_ morph into different people to keep up the facade. Besides, you would make a stellar guardian compared to the Dursleys. They'll be glad to be rid of us, and you're already our magical guardian, regardless."

Remus wasn't prepared for such an organized attack and proposal, and he looked to be silently cursing their telepathy as he considered the argument.

"Hey, are you buyin' anythin' or not? I gotta close up soon, ya know," the shopkeeper said. The three store-goers jumped and Remus sheepishly asked for enough floo powder for three. The twins looked sharply to him as he placed the order.

_He's not taking us to Privet Drive? Moony said floo only connects to wizarding homes._

_Do you think he might be agreeing?_

_And taking us somewhere else?_

_It's a distinct possibility!_

A light skip in their step, the twins moved to the fireplace. They each took a handful of the powder as Remus instructed them: "Say, strongly mind you, Potter Manor, and then throw the dust on the ground. It should take you to… well, you'll see when you get there."

Lea went first with a winning smirk in Remus' direction and flooed away even as he rolled his eyes back at her. Harry followed with little difficulty, and Remus brought up the rear after thanking the worker.

The first thought running through their heads as Harry and Lea stumbled out of the fireplace?

_Whoa._

First of all, the fireplace was huge. With quartz inlays running along the exterior and smooth, while dusty, maroon tile lining where they had landed, it was much more impressive than any floo the twins had seen before. Of course, they'd only seen the Leaky Cauldron and the transport shop, but still. It was more of an entryway than a fireplace, which they supposed made sense given the house was, by title, a manor.

Second, the house itself was gorgeous. Warm lighting and plush carpet dominated what they could see, but so far, everything had a certain expensive look to it. It made Lea nervous, being around so many breakable things, and Harry was inclined to agree; it wasn't as if any mishaps were tolerated with the Dursleys. Again, the sitting room (_Is that what this is called?_

_I think so.) _was pretty grimy. It looked like no one had lived here for years, though, so there would have been no reason to keep it in order.

Halfway through their examination, Remus collapsed into the floo grate.

"That one always trips me up," he muttered to himself. "I'm usually fine with floo, but no, the Potter house has to be stubborn." Noticing the twins staring at him and badly attempting to conceal their laughter, Remus straightened and briskly led them to another room.

_Is this another sitting room?_

_Maybe, I have no clue how these weird, large houses work._

_Yeah, it seems like there's a room for just about anything, here-_

_And then some more! Honestly, who needs a room _purely _for records and old rock posters?_

The new room had a more homey feel with a lot less show-off level and expensive furniture and detail work while still being nice, but unfortunately, it, like all of the other parts of the so-called Manor, was hidden under a thin sheet of dust and a thick air of disuse. Remus sat in a tall backed chair and beckoned for the twins to come and sit, as well. Lea graced a cushioned stool that was probably meant to be a footrest, and Harry sat down on the table.

After sparing Harry and his chosen 'chair' an amused glance, Remus began to speak. "First things first: this is Potter Manor. Lily and Prongs had planned to raise you here after the war was over and their cottage in Godric's Hollow got too small for the four of you. And the cat I suppose… I wonder what happened to Pumpkin… Anyways, the Manor has been in your family for a long time, to say the least, so any questions on that should be yielded to the house elves here. And on that note, could one of you please call for an elf called Luca?"

Harry responded, "Sure, but first-"

"Could you please tell us what a house elf is, exactly?" broke in Lea. "We _are_-"

"Still new to the magic thing." Remus sighed. They shouldn't have to learn this all from him, but here they were, regardless of what should have been. He needed to focus on the present and prepare the twins as best he could.

"House elves are small beings who are bound to a house or family which they serve," he said. "Most don't accept pay for their work because they pride themselves on it, but their culture is a lot different from wizards' or muggles'. Most families respect their wishes and don't pay them much attention. Luca is the Potter family elf, and she will come if either of you call. Some families don't practice common decency with their house elves, but I trust you two will respect Luca and treat her kindly."

After a stern look from Remus, cementing that he expected only kind things from Lea and Harry, Harry called for Luca.

_Pop! _"Luca was called by young Master Harry?"

"Er, yes, Luca. We wanted… what did we want, Moony?"

Remus efficiently took over the conversation, and Luca looked excited when he mentioned his position in the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter. Lea supposed that would seem nice to a house elf; she mustn't have had anyone to cater to for a long time.

He told Luca to clean out three rooms, one for each of them, before the twins asked for a joint one. Luca squealed in what _looked _like delight and said she knew the perfect wing of the house before popping away again.

_Ooooof course this house has wings._

_Do you reckon there's individual gardens as well?_

"Now," said Remus, unknowingly startling them out of their conversation. "Before we do anything else, I need to know for certain this is a good plan. Are you sure the fame is so awful you want to forfeit your influence, names, and any truth of who you are anywhere it could get out to the public? You couldn't tell your friends, the Hogwarts teachers, or anyone I don't approve of as the current proxy of your House."

Lea and Harry immediately nodded. There was nothing they wouldn't do to avoid the noise, not to mention the Dursleys.

"And I'm assuming you won't accept any answer other than yes from me?" Remus asked, looking like he already anticipated their 'yes's. He ran a hand through his hair and sat down with a _plunk_.

… "Alright. How are we going to do this?"

Three days and a trip to Privet Drive for their pets later, Harold James and Azalea Lily Potter were names of the past and hopefully far future. For the present, they would now be Aro Prong and Aza Petal Black, wards of Remus Lupin. After much correspondence with Gringotts, Hogwarts, and the Ministry, they were officially citizens of Magical Britain. While there was nothing they could do about Harry and Lea's original Hogwarts attendance fee as it had been paid at birth by their parents, the cost for two more barely put a dent in the Potter fortune.

They decided to go with names and appearances they couldn't easily forget, which was why the names were taken from their real ones and their parents' nicknames. They were apparently blood adopted by Padfoot, and their grandmother, Dorea, was a Black, so they were closely related enough that any tests would come up positive. Plus, the names were obscure enough that they wouldn't be mobbed but still related to their family enough that people who actually cared would hopefully notice.

The story went that they were distant cousins of some old branch of the Black family, but their parents stopped keeping track of the bloodline as they were self-titled progressivists. They were taken in by the Tonks family and taught wizarding politics after being found in a bad situation by Moony, who was now their guardian. It would explain their metamorphing _and_ apparent wealth (via access to Black vaults because even if Andromeda was kicked out of the family, _they _weren't).

They had messy hair like Harry's, still short but with a darker shade of Lea's red color running through it and hazel eyes that had more green than hazel. At the same height, they could easily be mistaken for each other, which was the idea. The look was a combination of each others' for the same reason as the simple names; they needed to be able to remember it in a cinch.

Remus helped them to get nicer, rectangle wire frames with a stronger prescription so they could actually see clearly.

Living in Potter Manor was weird at first, but they would have time to get used to the extravagance over the next summer hols.

Aza's headband went into a box with the old glasses and was buried along with any reservations they held about the stunt just before heading off to Hogwarts. She didn't need the reminder of worse times anymore. She was here with Aro and Moony, now, and she was never looking back. The muggle world had never treated them well, anyway.


End file.
